APRIL 1ST

 

     Seokjin awoke with a jolt, beads of sweat pouring down his forehead as he shot up. He clutched his chest to slow his breathing as he scanned the room for anything out of the ordinary. Everything was calm, no signs of trouble.

     "," he breathed a sigh of relief. This was the fourth night in a row that a nightmare had hijacked his dream...

     ...this time it woke Jungkook too.

     "Hey," Jungkook called out, sitting up and turning on the bedside lamp, "Nightmare?"

     "I don't remember," Seokjin lied, throwing back the covers and standing, "I'm gonna take a shower, go back to sleep."

     Jungkook laid back, watching as his husband walked over to the closet and flicked on the light.

     "Are you sure?"

     "Yeah," Seokjin nodded, grabbing some clothing, "Get some sleep, we have a long day tomorrow."

     Jungkook smirked, "Remember our honeymoon?"

     "Huh?" Seokjin turned to look at him.

     Jungkook cuddled up to his pillow, "Can we just go back there for a couple years?"

     Seokjin tittered, "If only."

 

     Seokjin happened upon Yoongi staring out at the gardens, the light of the moon was like a spotlight over the greenery. The wind blew the leaves just enough to make him shiver as he headed down the path toward his best friend, a thousand worries crowding his mind. The crickets were surprisingly vocal, serenading his arrival with their melodious trills as if he were the king of all things insect, it was almost hypnotic.

     "You look like you've seen a ghost," Seokjin remarked, leaning against the frame of the arbor, peeking up at the moon.

     If you only knew. Yoongi scoffed, "Can't sleep?"

     "I don't want to burden Jungkook with this-"

     "Should I be worried?" Yoongi took a seat on the stone bench that was wreathed with climbing ivy.

     "I keep having this dream that I'm stuck in this giant incubator and these sinister-looking doctors are poking and prodding me," Seokjin stared through the moon, recollecting his dream, "Then all of a sudden I am standing on the outside looking in... and it's Cato... and he grabs me."

     "You think you're seeing what they are doing to him?"

     "I dunno, but when he grabs me," Seokjin's pained expression concerned Yoongi, "I get this intense pain in my temples like he's trying to bore something into my brain, but then everything turns black and I wake up."

     "What if he has some sort of brain link with you?"

     "What if it isn't just me?" Seokjin was bothered, "what if all the nobles are seeing this too?"

     "If he's trying to call to them, it might not matter how well the gods have hidden him."

     "That's what I'm worried about. There are four offspring left now, me and the three baddest-"

     Seokjin and Jungkook had managed to widdle the nobles down to just three packs over the last two years. Those three packs decided to merge into one megapack; one formidable enemy to contend with, society's worst nightmare.

     "We should speak to Hoseok," Yoongi suggested, "I feel like he'd have answers."

     Seokjin agreed, he knew he needed to figure this out, the nightmares were becoming more vivid with each passing night.

 

     Hoseok was sporting a -eating grin as he tweaked the frequency on his Dimensional Spectrometer, humming a ditty that brightened the whole atmosphere. Taehyung stopped himself from tapping along, wondering what the hell Hoseok was so cheery about.

     "So, Charlie-cide is officially over?" Taehyung flung the copy of 'Practical Dark Arts' he had been reading onto the counter and stood.

     "It's on hold for now. This month's project is astral projection through different timelines," Hoseok beamed, quite proud of himself.

     "So you're going to actually open up that vortex you're always warning everyone against?" He peeked over Hoseok's shoulder.

     Hoseok frowned, "Not quite."

     "Nothing good has ever come from timeline traveling," Taehyung insisted, walking back over to sit on the counter.

 

     The door opened and Seokjin sauntered in, followed by Yoongi. Taehyung blushed at the sight of the white-haired intruder, feeling his heart skip a beat.

     "Speaking of nothing good," Hoseok kidded.

     "I need your advice."

     "What cataclysmic event have you triggered now?"

     "Actually-"

     "Oh come on," Hoseok whined. 

     "It's a recurring nightmare I keep having," Seokjin leaned against the counter, "about Cato."

     Seokjin explained the dreams that plagued his brain the last few nights.

     "Psychic telepathy between family members isn't that uncommon," Hoseok explained, "especially if he wants his children to find him."

     "So you think they are experimenting on him?" Yoongi asked.

     "I can almost guarantee it, especially if my theory about where they're keeping him is correct."

     "You have a theory on that and you haven't shared it?" Taehyung berated.

     "We've been busy," Hoseok objected, "and I'm more about facts than assumptions."

     Taehyung shrugged, "Fair enough."

      "So what are you thinking?" Yoongi inquired, scooting up on the counter next to Taehyung.

     "Iceland Facility 2, Genetica," Hoseok revealed, "Dr. Akiyama-"

     "The quack job from Seokjin's childhood?" Yoongi questioned.

    "Isn't that a little too obvious?" Seokjin doubted they would hide Cato in a place that was so easily found.

     "Sometimes the most obvious is the least paid attention to," Hoseok walked over to the computer desk by the door and popped up some blueprints on the laptop, "In the last two years, the heat signature from inside Genetica has increased significantly, as you can see on the thermal map," he points to the screen, "with Rf-pose, we can track individual movement-"

     "RF-pose?" Yoongi asked.

     "RF-Pose uses radio frequencies to track where an entity is, in this case, the chimeras," Hoseok explained, "No one would ever look twice at a research facility having a copious amount of test animals... but then I noticed the blobs move in a guard-like pattern."

     Seokjin leaned in to study the screen, "You are a brilliant man."

     "It got me thinking," Hoseok blushed, "So, I had Jimin hack into their files."

     "I feel like this is more than a theory for you," Taehyung mumbled to himself.

     "They've been ordering an abundance of feeder animals under the guise of upkeep for their projects. The factory they get their supply from is a front-"

     "A front for what?" Yoongi questioned.

     "In order to appear human friendly, it supplies many human research facilities with food for their test subjects, but underneath, it's a supply chain for chimeras, and if anyone knows what the main purpose of keeping a chimera around is-"

     "Guarding," Taehyung answered.

     "Bingo."

     "Half lion-half man?" Yoongi was confused.

     "Any two or three species merged in an unnatural way is considered a chimera," Hoseok clarified, bringing up a picture of one, "Akiyama is famous for his work on genetic manipulation."

     "So he created an army?" Seokjin backed up from the desk, dejected.

     "Yup, and for now there are at least fifty of them at the facility guarding... something."

     "On a scale of 1 to 10, how tough is a chimera?" Yoongi inquired.

     "On a scale of 1 to 10? A hundred easy," Hoseok estimated.

     "So, if not Cato, then they have something there they don't want to be discovered," Yoongi surmised.

     "The good news is, Seokjin owns the place, so he has every right to want to... I don't know... tour the facility, maybe take a peek at their day-to-day operations," Hoseok winked.

     "They aren't just going to invite me in and offer me top-secret clearance," Seokjin objected.

     "No, but you can bring an assistant or two, one especially good with computer hacking, another with superior thieving skills-"

     "Someone is feeling bored," Taehyung interjected.

     "I mean, just from a medical standpoint, the place is of legend, I may get some ideas for the Charlie Project."

     "Project is what we're calling it now?" Yoongi snickered.

      "I think at the very least, a glimpse inside will help us know what we're dealing with," Hoseok concluded.

     "You make a good point," Seokjin nodded, agreeing, "I'll book the next flight out."

 

     The plane touched down at Keflavik International Airport twelve hours later. It was midnight when they checked into the hotel rooms, Seokjin and Yoongi took the penthouse while Hoseok and Jimin got stuck with the honeymoon suite after some bull story about a reservation mixup. Two conversations, with the barely English-speaking night hotel manager, later, and they were comped for a room complete with kitschy love stuff including a heart-shaped bed that vibrated as soon as Jimin laid down.

      The penthouse had an amazing view of the city skyline and Yoongi insisted he could reside here for a few years as a bachelor extraordinaire and not get bored of the scene, before toddling off to test the water pressure in the marbled bathroom.

      Seokjin took off his watch and set it on the nightstand as he sat on the bed. He removed his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to Jungkook letting him know they arrived safely. He threw his phone on the bed and began rubbing his neck, trying to alleviate some of the tenseness he was feeling.

     Yoongi walked out of the bathroom, one towel wrapped around his waist, drying his hair with another.

     "So you know how lying to bunny boy never goes over well," Yoongi threw the hair towel on the chair and grabbed a drink from the fridge, "Why are you doing it this time?"

     "It's not a lie, it's a half-truth and I just don't want him to worry."

     "If you have some sort of telepathic connection to Cato, he'll figure that out-"

     Seokjin sighed as he laid back on the bed, "I'm scared it's more than a telepathic connection."

     "What aren't you telling me?" Yoongi slid his shorts on and slung the towel over the chair.

      Seokjin sat up, "I feel like I'm going to do something... questionable."

     "Elaborate."

     "There's a darkness around it, I don't know how to explain it," Seokjin stood and walked over to the window, "Like an urge to help him."

     Yoongi slipped on a shirt and joined him at the window, "You want to set him free."

     "Yeah," Seokjin admitted, "it's a dangerous place to be in the middle of and you know Jungkook-"

     "So, I'm here to make sure you don't do anything stupid," Yoongi understood why he was asked to come along.

     "I trust you," Seokjin smiled, shrugging, "and if I'm going to do anything stupid, you know how to handle me."

     Yoongi laughed, "Yeah, sure."

     Seokjin walked over and plonked down on the bed, "Besides, it's been too long since we went on an adventure together."

     "If this is another attempt for you to tell me how squishy I am, I will kick your ," Yoongi chided, "No Jungkook to save you this time."

     Seokjin pulled back the covers and slid under them, dismissing the ridiculous notion of an -kicking from a pulpous vampire, "Cute."

     "Yeah, I am, but that still won't save you," Yoongi pulled back the covers on his own bed and climbed in.

 

     APRIL 2ND

 

     Hoseok joined Jimin at Seokjin's door, giving a light knock as he popped a heart-shaped chocolate into his mouth, "The perks of spending your honeymoon in a 5-star hotel."

     "Why do I even need to wear a suit?" Jimin pulled at his collar, unable to get the tie to not sit on his Adam's apple.

     Yoongi flung open the door, cracking a smile at the displeased expression on Jimin's face as he loosened his tie.

     "Wake up on the wrong side of the vibrating bed?" Yoongi smirked.

     "Business casual my ," Jimin grumbled.

     "You ready?" Hoseok pushed past Yoongi and walked inside.

      "To get this show on the road," Yoongi retorted with a monotone tone, "Hell ing yeah."

     Seokjin strolled out from the bathroom, slipping on his jacket, "So what's the plan?"

     "To not give away that we know Cato is there?" Hoseok quipped.

     "Allegedly there," Yoongi reminded.

     "Crossbreeding is always a good ice breaker," Hoseok stated.

     "Crossbreeding what?" Yoongi asked.

     "Pick a species," Hoseok suggested.

     "Could you be any more vague?" Yoongi shot him a disapproving look.

     "Akiyama's whole life's work has been trying to control dangerous species-"

     "So you come at him with some half-baked idea on chimera breeding and expect him to open up?" Yoongi argued.

     "Not exactly what I was thinking," Hoseok frowned, discouraged.

      "We need to have a damn good reason to be there-"

     "Genetica is a glorified breeding facility, it'd be the most believable excuse," Jimin countered, giving Hoseok a reassuring nod.

     "We don't breed things-" Seokjin expressed.

     "I can fake a scenario," Hoseok promised, "just my knowledge on curmling anatomy alone is enough to conjure up some bull research."

     "Curmlings are supernatural, it's not totally abnormal he'd need a proper facility to test out his ideas," Jimin added.

     "Or you can just lead off with the Charlie Project, I am sure Akiyama would be quite interested in learning the best way to toast a frog," Yoongi suggested and Jimin snickered.

     Hoseok was a step away from smacking Yoongi, the sassy smart- wouldn't be so merry if he found out how many Charlie's he had served them for dinner. Frog legs tasted a lot like chicken when mixed in with things.

     "I'll be monitoring from the van," Jimin set his laptop down on the table.

     "You think they're gonna put us in a room where we can access important ?" Yoongi criticized.

     "I suspect you underestimate my talents," Jimin huffed as he pulled out an insect-sized robotic device from his knapsack.

     Yoongi gave him a look of utter cluelessness, "A bug?"

     "Where did you get that?" Seokjin's mouth dropped open.

     Jimin smiled wickedly, "So I've been staying in touch with Demetrius," He typed in a command on his laptop to turn it on, "We've been working on designing a biotech hacking machine.

     "You made this?" Seokjin was impressed.

      "Co-designed, seems Demetrius has his hands in a lot of pots," Jimin explained, "He got me the grant and hooked me up with some engineers."

     "What is a robobug supposed to do?" Yoongi picked it up to inspect it, staring into two little buggy 'eyes'.

     "Careful," Jimin grabbed it back, "This C.H.I.M. cost me 5k."

     "Chim?"

     "Computerized Hacking Insectoid Machine, my idea," Jimin set the C.H.I.M. down and slid into his seat, punching in a few keystrokes, "Chimmy is exceptional at getting into small spaces unnoticed."

     Chimmy moved a few steps forward and then stopped.

      "And I repeat, what is a bug going to do?" Yoongi was growing impatient.

     Jimin turned his laptop around so they could see themselves staring at the screen, "Miniature camera and microphone make up the eyes, and..." He reached down to pick up the C.H.I.M. and popped open its chest, "USB flash built-in."

      "That's ing epic," Seokjin watched the CHIM's legs wiggle as Jimin popped it back to close it.

     "It's half alive, so it's quick," Jimin set it back on the table and hit a few more keys, Chimmy shot across the table in a matter of seconds, stopping at the edge, "All you need to do is set it down on the floor, Chimmy and I will do the rest."

     "It's brilliant," Hoseok patted Jimin on the back.

     "Thanks," Jimin beamed as he set Chimmy back in its case.

     "I feel like we need to hire an exterminator," Yoongi shook his head, "What happens when they squish the thing?"

     "Don't worry about Chimmy," Jimin assured him.

 

     Genetica was smaller than Seokjin pictured in his head, or at least the parts of it that he could see, because from what Hoseok learned, there were several floors underground as well. The building was constructed mostly of glass set into thin metal beams, but you couldn't see in the top floors; the surface was like a mirror, reflecting the morning sky. The main floor looked like any other research facility, albeit high-class decor set it above most, with its marbled floors and top-of-the-line technology. Typical posters hung on the walls, encased in black frames that advertised the 'life-changing' work they were doing there.

     They signed in at the front desk and then waited a good fifteen minutes before an intern emerged from the elevator to greet them. The trek down the corridor to Akiyama's office seemed like it lasted forever, it was darker than the rest of the building; like an impending doom personified. Seokjin swore he could feel Cato's presence pulsating the atmosphere. There was no doubt in his mind that his grandfather was hidden somewhere within the walls, happy that he had managed to lure Seokjin to him.

     "Dr. Akiyama will be along shortly," The assistant assured before hurrying out, leaving them alone in his office.

     Hoseok removed a case from his pocket and bent down releasing Chimmy seconds later. The three of them watched as it scurried over to the wall and then disappeared inside a vent.

     "Hope the little guy makes it," Hoseok returned the case to his pocket and straightened up just as the door opened and Akiyama walked in.

     "Seokjin, it's been a while," Akiyama smirked and Seokjin sensed some aggression from him as he shook his hand.

     "Wish I could remember," Seokjin squeezed a bit harder to make it clear that he didn't like the guy before releasing him and slinking down into the chair in front of the desk.

     Akiyama cleared his throat, offering Hoseok and Yoongi the couch before sitting himself, "Have to be honest, you're the last person I expected to visit the facility."

     "Well, I own it, figured I might as well take an interest in what my grandfather was doing all these years."

     "Does this mean we will be seeing more of you?"

     Seokjin gave a nod to Hoseok, "I figured you could help us with an issue we are having regarding Mr. Jung's work."

     "What sort of issue?" Akiyama sat up, snapping his attention to Hoseok.

      "I'm afraid the lab at the estate is in no way set up to handle the experiments-" Seokjin started, hoping that Hoseok would pick the subject and take control of the conversation.

     "Stem-cell research," Hoseok understood Seokjin's tone, "Reanimation of the dead for magical purposes."  

     Akiyama wasn't sure if they were joking or not gauging by the expression on his face, "I am not sure our facilities can accommodate such a request-"

     "You're the leading experts on genetic mutations and DNA research, your thesis on curmling DNA alone is-"

     "Ah, you've read my work-"

     "Any self-respecting doctor has read your work," Hoseok insisted, "It's what got me interested in this whole ordeal in the first place."

     Akiyama puffed up, flattered, "I am intrigued."

     Hoseok and Seokjin exchanged knowing glances, Akiyama responded well to having his ego boosted.

     "I'm afraid I've set fire to way too many curmlings in my pursuit and well," Hoseok acted as though he was in a quandary, "You breed them for your experiments, a never-ending supply would bode well for my cause."

     Hoseok decided it was best to rearrange his story a bit, frogs just didn't suit the narrative.

     "I figured this was the best place, no nosey humans to interfere," Seokjin winked.

     "Understood," Akiyama nodded.

 

     Jimin sat in the back of the van, two laptops set in front of several monitors that lined the left side of the windowless cargo area. He stuffed an earpiece in and zoomed in to view the ventilation shaft as Chimmy crawled along the metallic surface, dodging a few cockroaches and dust bunnies as he made his way to what he believed was 'Lab 3' by the blueprints that were opened on his second monitor. He guided Chimmy to crawl through and down the wall over to a computer in the corner. The lab was dark, and unoccupied at the moment, he didn't know for how long, so efficiency was important. 

     "Okay, let's see what you can do," Jimin pushed back the hair from his forehead and typed up a command.

     Chimmy snapped his USB open and into the port. Jimin bypassed the passwords in a few keystrokes and found himself in the sensitive files moments later. Chimmy began to copy the files as Jimin maneuvered his way around, planting a remote access file so that he could get inside without the C.H.I.M. physically being there. He also disabled the program they had installed to detect hacking. He had to laugh at the lack of security Genetica had concerning their computers, but thanked their ignorance for allowing this to be so easy.

 

     Akiyama pushed the intercom button, "Astrid, would you please instruct Gunther to prepare the tour, our guests are ready."

     "Yes, of course."

     Akiyama stood and Seokjin followed suit.

     "I appreciate your hospitality."

     "I owe your grandfather a lot," Akiyama nodded, "He was the only one to give me a chance after Eldwood closed down."

     Seokjin tensed up at hearing the word Eldwood, he knew if he could remember that period of his life and what Akiyama did to him, this whole meeting would have gone so much different.

     Gunther entered the office, muscles pushing the limits on the fabric of his Armani suit as he tramped over to Akiyama, mentally sizing each one of them up before turning his attention to his boss.

     "Hafðu túrinn einfaldan." Akiyama spoke and Gunther nodded, “Ég veit hvað Seokjin er fær um, svo vertu nálægt honum.”  (keep the tour simple) (I know what Seokjin is capable of, so stick close to him.)

      “Þessi bóndi?” (this peasant?)

     “Þessi bóndi gæti drepið þig áður en þú áttaðir þig jafnvel á því hvað var að gerast, ekki vanmeta hann,”  Akiyama scolded. (This peasant could kill you before you even realized what was happening, don’t underestimate him.)

     Gunther grunted, clearly not believing what he was being fed. He turned to them, brows furrowed, "Please follow me."

     The tour was as expected, short and boring. They were given some spiel about how their research was changing the world, yadda yadda. They didn't see any of the chimeras that Hoseok warned them about... or anything out of the ordinary in general.

     "Are you sure your intel... is correct?" Yoongi berated, once they were back at the hotel.

     "Hardly suspect they would parade us around chimeras and supernatural oddities," Hoseok retorted, "We got the vanilla tour, same as any client would."

     Jimin, on the other hand, had gotten the advanced DIY tour that saw a hell of a lot more than a few experiments and scientific data. He popped Chimmy into his USB port as he eased into his chair, keying up the information he had uncovered from the computer at the lab. He pulled up a schematic, titled Project Z.

     "I don't have all the details yet, but I think Akiyama is trying to create a super chimera-"

     "What the is that?" Yoongi leaned in, followed by the other two.

     "Anatomy of several apex predators frankensteined into this mess," Jimin traced the image to show the different breeds, "Velociraptor, tiger, great-white to name a few-"

      "What does this have to do with Cato?" Yoongi asked.

     "Cato is a demigod, his DNA would help create top-of-the-food-chain predators."

     "But why would he need such strong monsters?" Seokjin inquired.

     "To control the ones they believe to be the real monsters."

     "What do you mean?" Yoongi was confused.

     Jimin showed them a journal entry, outlining the doctor's plans, "It's Eldwood 2.0."

     "You can't control the supernatural-"

     "With the revolt the vampires had planned and with the nobles' uprising, he's scared," Jimin sat back, staring up at them, "The humans are taking measures to ensure we stay tucked neatly into anonymity."

     "Why would the gods be okay with this?" Seokjin bellowed.

     "The gods are all about balance," Hoseok reminded, "They'd create and then wipe out the excess without a second thought."

     "Seems they want to bypass the morality code," Jimin explained, "Thanks to the extremists, Akiyama has come up wi